Fort Langley: Visiting the National Historic Site

An elderly woman shows kids how to make wooden buckets

Our next stop in Fort Langley was the fort itself, which dates back to 1827 and was a vital part in the fur trade as it is located on the banks of the Fraser River.

It's now a national tourist attraction, where visitors can roam around the actual fort and see recreations of the various buildings and some people there bring the time back then to life.

Fur pelts hanging from the ceiling in a building

The fort was once part of the British trade route that traded with indigenous people for furs and fish, who got blankets and other goods in return. 

This also resulted in the birth of the Metis people, when European men married aboriginal women in a bid to gain better access to goods and trade networks.

In the fort, visitors can see furs hanging from the wooden ceiling, various blankets, including those from the Hudson's Bay Company with the distinctive red, blue, green and yellow stripes. 

We were intrigued to see boxes made of woven bamboo with labels that said "Shanghai" and "San Francisco", while the dining room table had crockery with blue and white chinoiserie designs.

There's also a room showing aboriginal embroidery and beading that is modern but beautiful nonetheless. An impressive piece is part of British Columbia shown in embroidery and beading, while other handicrafts including woven baskets and hats.

Woven bamboo boxes with Shanghai labels

Another building showed woodworking, and an elderly woman demonstrating to a group of children how buckets were made out of wood, and in another outdoor area, a blacksmith talked to kids about making objects out of metal, with a real fire nearby.

At the back of the fort is a home, where a man is dressed as a steward and says he manages the household, with the kitchen just behind the house and to the right of it is a small hutch for three rabbits, and another caged area for three goats. There's also a small but impressive looking garden that is growing kale.

One of the last stops is where visitors can go through a slurry and pan for gold. Any chances of finding anything?

It's an educational visit and young people get a bit of a taste of the history in an interactive way.

Chinoiserie crockery with tartan tablecloth!

Fort Langley National Historic Site

23433 Mavis Avenue

Fort Langley, BC

604 513 4777